New Jersey woman was 'BURIED ALIVE in a shallow grave by her landscaper

In a crime described by authorities as 'vile' and 'inhuman,' a New Jersey woman was buried alive in a shallow grave by her landscaper after he offered to drive her to buy a new car, police said Thursday as he and another man were arraigned on murder charges.

Fatima Perez was reported missing on Monday evening, the same day she left her Camden home to buy the car. The body of the 41-year-old woman was found Wednesday in Monroe Township, about 20 miles away.

Perez's mouth and eyes were covered with duct tape before she was buried, authorities said. An autopsy determined she died of asphyxiation.

Landscaper Carlos Alicea-Antonetti, of Camden, and one of his employees, Ramon Ortiz of Pennsauken, told investigators they buried her alive, according to authorities.

Both men applied for public defenders at their arraignment, where they were ordered held on $5 million bail each.

Investigators said Alicea-Antonetti, the owner of Villa Coamo Landscaping and General Maintenance, picked up Perez on Monday in his van to drive her to buy the car.

As Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah described the horrific crime, Perez's family wept openly in court, The Courier-Post reported.

Perez had about $8,000 on her for the purchase.

She accepted a lift from Alicea-Antonetti, who was known to her family and had done landscaping work at her home.

Speaking to investigators later, he claimed she fell out of his van during an argument then got back in regardless of the injury. 

He admitted to then picking up Ortiz, and said the two men later bound Perez and taped her ears and mouth shut.

Oritz's statement differed, claiming that Perez was already tied up when he entered the van. 

He also claimed she begged him for help while they headed to the rural area where she'd be buried.

He further said that Alicea-Antonetti directed him to take a shovel and dig the gave off of Clayton Road. 

'Ortiz stated that Ms. Perez was placed in the grave, covered with lime and buried,' according to the court record.

Both men agreed she was alive when they buried her, according to police.

They covered the grave with branches and debris to try and hide it, then left. 

They were arrested Wednesday when police received a tip they were hiding in an Express Inn. 

Alicea-Antonetti had $7,000 on him when he was arrested.

Ortiz allegedly took police to the grave later that Wednesday morning.

Both men have criminal histories. Alicea-Antonetti pled guilty to aggravated assault in an April 2006 domestic violence case involving choking his wife while Ortiz was convicted of drug-distribution charges in 1993 and 1995 with each case resulting in a three-year prison sentence. 

He was convicted on two more drug-related crimes in 1999 and 2002. 

Each man faces life without parole in Perez's death.

Source-Dailym